Kennel-Thing
The Kennel-Thing, also known as the Dog-Thing, was a three-formed Thing which assumed the form of a Norwegian dog. The creature originally appeared in the 1982 film The Thing and its origins were further explored in the 2011 prequel of the same name. History ''The Thing'' (2011) The origins of the Dog-Thing are explored in the 2011 prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing. It is shown to be an imitation of (presumably) the station's sole dog, which belonged to Norwegian dog-handler, Lars. After the original creature escapes from its ice block in Thule Station it attacks the dog in its kennel. The dog is later found in a bloody mess in the corner of its cage by several Norwegian team members during their search for the creature. Due to their lack of knowledge of the Thing's life-cycle, the dog's remains were left alone and its whereabouts were largely unknown throughout the Thule crisis. It is only at the end that the dog, now assimilated, is seen by Lars leaping out of a window and running away from the destroyed station. He recognizes that it is an imitation and pursues it across Antarctica with helicopter pilot, Matias. ''The Thing'' (1982) In the opening scenes of 1982's The Thing, the dog reaches a nearby American research station known as Outpost 31. Both its pursuers are killed in an altercation with the station's crew, and consequently its true identity remains a secret. Left to roam around the facility unhindered, the imitation silently assimilates its first victim before Clark, the station's dog-handler, puts the dog in the kennel. Under the cover of darkness, its head splits into a three-jawed maw and spits against nearest dog with a jet of fluid, then mutates into a grotesque spider-like form and begins to violently assimilate the sled dogs. Clark notices the strange noises and goes to check on the dogs, only to be startled by two that manage to escape. Shortly afterwards, helicopter pilot R.J. MacReady also notices the commotion and wakes the men up using the fire alarm system. Converging on the kennels, they discover the creature - now a bloated and pulsating blob of flesh with a second gruesome dog head on top - in the process of digesting and assimilating the dogs. After MacReady fails to kill it using a shotgun, the creature grows a pair of three-fingered claws and pulls a portion of itself towards the ceiling, separating itself from the main bio-mass and escapes into the ceiling. Confronted by a flamethrower-wielding Childs, the remaining Thing splits open and aims a flower-like proboscis in his direction. It is incinerated before it can strike and collapses to the floor, where the men extinguish the flames. Later, Blair performs an autopsy on the monster and discovers a partially assimilated dog within - granting the men a better understanding of how the Thing operates. Forms The Kennel-Thing is shown to possess a minimum of three distinct forms: John-carpenters-the-thing-1982 jed again.png|Imitating a dog from the Norwegian research station, the Thing stealthily assimilates a member of U.S. Outpost 31, before being locked in the station's dog kennel by the unsuspecting men. Vlcsnap-2011-12-30-07h23m32s194.png|The creature splits open, developing a prehensile tongue, several spider-like legs and tentacles. Eventually it develops a second head and becomes bloated and immobile. Vlcsnap-2011-12-30-09h03m55s5.png|Bloated and pulsating, the Thing develops a pair of claws and escapes to the ceiling. It's flesh rips open to reveal a flower-like appendage composed of canine tongues and teeth. Trivia *In 1982's The Thing, the Norwegian dog was played by a half-dog, half-wolf hybrid named Jed. He acted all his parts eerily well and was extremely quiet and well-behaved on the set. *In the novel Who Goes There? the Kennel-Thing's host was named Charnauk. *This was the only thing effect in the film not done by Rob Bottin, as Bottin was hospitalised for exhaustion at the time, it was done instead by Stan Winston and his crew. Winston asked not to be credited because he didn't want to take away the praise from Bottin. *The Flesh Flower is actually an incredibly detailed effect. Its petals are 12 dog tongues complete with rows of canine teeth. Rob Bottin dubbed it the 'pissed-off cabbage'. *During the "Dogtown" scene, when the Flesh Flower begins to strike at Childs, at the top right side you can see part of the head and shoulder of an effects crewmember as they work the creature. They even cast a shadow on the wall behind. *According to John Carpenter's commentary, in the Kennel-Thing we are seeing bits and pieces of creatures the Thing has absorbed on other worlds before reaching Earth. *It is unknown what exactly happened to the part of the Kennel-Thing that escaped through the roof. It is assumed it was found and destroyed by the men shortly after the main bio-mass was destroyed, or that it escaped the scene and later assimilated either Norris or Blair, as they were the only two to likely have been infected after this incident took place. Another theory is that the deleted ending where a dog is seen running away from the destroyed camp is actually canon and that dog was the separated mass, hiding the whole time. Other theories suggest it found and became part of the Blair-Thing during the film's climax, assimilated Nauls, assimilated Palmer (with the ambitious shadow during the Superstition sequence actually being Norris), or even escaped into the snow and froze, waiting for the rescue team to find it's frozen remains. If Childs was an imitation at the end of the film, it is possible he found the missing Thing and absorbed it into himself when he abandoned his post, or perhaps it even assimilated him after he saw it in the storm, confusing it for Blair. Gallery Film images Norwegian dog stares out the window - The Thing (1982).png|The imitation observes MacReady return from the Norwegian camp, as seen in The Thing (1982). The_Kennel-Thing_bursts_out_-_The_Thing_(1982).png|The Kennel-Thing's initial transformation, as seen in The Thing (1982). The_Kennel-Thing_puts_out_tentacles_-_The_Thing_(1982).png|The creature in the process of assimilating the dogs, as seen in The Thing (1982). The_Kennel-Thing_blob_-_The_Thing_(1982).png|The bloated and pulsating mass attempts to escape from the men, as seen in The Thing (1982). The newly sprouted eyes are visible in the center of its body. Assimilated_dog_remains_-_The_Thing_(1982).png|A half-finished imitation dog found inside the Kennel-Thing, as seen in The Thing (1982). Behind the scenes 180px-WGTThingpic.jpg|The Kennel-Thing as depicted from Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. Ploog_Kennel_Thing_concept_art_-_The_Thing_(1982).jpg|Kennel-Thing concept art by storyboard artist Michael Ploog, The Thing (1982). Dale_Kuipers,_The_Kennel-Thing_attacks_concept_art_-_The_Thing_(1982).jpg|Kennel-Thing concept art by storyboard artist Dale Kuipers, The Thing (1982). chien_Kuipers'Thing.JPG|Early Kennel-Thing concept art by Artist Dale Kuipers long-neck dog_PLOOG.JPG|A early design of the kennel-thing designed by Mich Ploog Video File:The_Thing_1982_the_kennel_scene| Category:Creatures Category:Creatures (1982 Film) Category:Creatures (2011 Film)